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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844108">Wedding for Christmas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nepenthe_writer/pseuds/nepenthe_writer'>nepenthe_writer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Weddings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:55:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,407</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844108</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nepenthe_writer/pseuds/nepenthe_writer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Pepper and Happy become stressed planning their Christmas Wedding, Tony offers to hire an event planner to help them out. By the time the wedding comes around, they might not be the only ones feeling the love of the season.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Happy Hogan/Pepper Potts, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is inspired by all of the sappy Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies that play constantly this time of year. There is barely any plot to this, just enough to justify all of the softness and fluff.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Halloween had officially ended and with the calendar change to November first came the beginning of the Christmas season in New York. It seemed like lights and garlands and wreaths had almost appeared overnight as everyone got ready for the approaching holiday season. Stark Industries was no exception to the hustle and bustle.</p>
<p>Electronics were always a must have on so many Christmas lists that they had to work hard to make sure that there was enough merchandise. Plus they had to double check that all the new releases they had going out were bug free. It wouldn’t do the company any good to try and grab a chunk of the holiday market if the products that they were putting out were just going to cause problems for their buyers. That would just hurt them in the long run.</p>
<p>All of this put together made it very difficult to plan a wedding for the Christmas season as well. During his time guarding Pepper, Happy had become enamored with the incredible woman that was Virginia Potts. Recognizing that if he wanted to do something about his attraction he couldn’t stay as her bodyguard because that would be an incredible conflict of interest. After someone new was hired to act as Pepper’s bodyguard and Happy took over the job of head of security for the New York branch of Stark Industries he was free to ask her out on a date.</p>
<p>After two years of dating, Happy had proposed to Pepper over the past spring. They both loved the Christmas season with all the decorations and the feelings of family and love the time of year represented to them. They wanted those same feelings to be a part of their big day and even though that meant more stress leading up to the day, they each tried to balance planning the wedding with making sure their work wasn’t slipping. It was a difficult task to say the least.</p>
<p>As the CEO of the company and head of security respectively, neither Pepper nor Happy had any room for error when it came to their work. They both had far too many people depending on them to take time off even for something as important to them as their wedding.</p>
<p>Tony knew just how important having a beautiful wedding was to them and as two of his closest friends, he didn’t want their special day to be anything less than the best that it could possibly be. As such, he had come up with a plan to help. He just needed their approval first. While he normally had no problem steamrolling over people when he knew his idea was the best one, this was not his wedding and he knew that his ideas were not the ones that should hold the most weight in this case.</p>
<p>Tony knocked on the door to Pepper’s office where she was looking over the reports from the production of their newest line of Starkphones. They had managed to increase the battery life not only over the previous model but over their competitors’ best lines as well. Now it was a delicate race to make sure that they produced enough product to meet the demand without sacrificing the quality in the process. Getting items out to the public did no more good if they didn’t work than if they sent didn’t get them out at all. Worse even because then they risked public opinion turning negative and that was always harder to win back in the long run.</p>
<p>“Hey Tony,” Peppered greeted, a slightly strained smile on her face. “What can I do for you today?”</p>
<p>“It’s actually a matter of what I can do for you,” Tony replied holding out the tablet he had been carrying to Pepper to take a look at.</p>
<p>On the screen was a website for an event planner, <i>James Barnes: Events for Timeless Memories</i>. A man in his mid-thirties stood in front of a basic background. Brown hair softened the look provided by the ice blue eyes that looked like they could stare right through you. At the bottom of the page were links to events that he planned: birthdays, graduations, religious celebrations, and weddings.</p>
<p>As far as Tony could see this was the perfect solution to the stress that Pepper and Happy had been under as they tried to get their wedding planned. They got someone to do the heavy lifting while still making the decisions themselves to make the day what they wanted it to be. It was the perfect kind of compromise that Tony loved. He knew the value of delegating tasks in order to be the most productive that he could be and he was certain that as CEO, Pepper would as well. Whether she wanted to let go of some of that control in preparing for a once in a lifetime day was something only she and Happy could decide for themselves however.</p>
<p>“I was thinking, if you and Happy wanted, this could be a wedding gift to you,” Tony explained as he watched Pepper click through some of the links looking at the offered services and reviews given by previous clients. “You’re both swamped with work plus planning the wedding on top of all of that. I can see how it’s taking a toll on the both of you and this is something that I can do to help. I’d offer to help with the planning itself but we both know how well that would go over.”</p>
<p>Pepper and Tony both made a face at that idea. It was no secret that Tony could come up with incredible ideas and if they were mechanical even put them together but planning events and things with people as the moving parts, he was hopeless with that. There was a reason they had people on staff specifically to plan out the charity galas and launch events for new products instead of leaving it in Tony’s hands.</p>
<p>Pepper bit her lip as she continued to look through the website. Like Tony she absolutely knew that value of someone like this and had no problem utilizing them when it came to company events but a wedding was different. It was more personal and it almost felt like admitting defeat if she and Happy couldn’t manage it all on their own. On the other hand she did recognize that as not a logical argument and there was a reason event planning was such a successful field of work.</p>
<p>“I’ll talk it over with Happy,” Pepper said eventually. “He’ll want a say in this. I’ll let you know what we decide. Thank you Tony, it’s very kind of you.”</p>
<p>“Of course Pep. Only the best for two of my favorite people,” Tony said without hesitation.</p>
<p>“I must know though, why this particular planner? Please tell me it wasn’t because he was the one that you thought would look best in your bed,” Pepper teased.</p>
<p>“Pepper,” Tony said in fake astonishment with his hand over his heart. “I’m hurt by the insinuation that I would choose someone purely based by how attractive they are. That’s just an added bonus for me.”</p>
<p>Pepper raised a single eyebrow though the side of her mouth was also crooked up in amusement. While Tony had no problem enjoying company in his bed for a one night stand every now and again, he was by no means the playboy that he had once been when he had first taken over the company at twenty-one. He had grown up and while he could still admire attractive individuals, he was more responsible about when he chose to invite someone into his bed.</p>
<p>“I spoke to Lindsey,” he said, referring to the woman who does the company’s event planning. “She recommended this guy. I checked out the website and it looked good. The final decision is up to the two of you but it was something that I wanted to offer. The two of you are some of the best friends that I have and I’m just so happy that the two of you have each other and I just want your wedding to be the best start to your shared life that it can be.”</p>
<p>There was never any doubt that Tony would go to just about any lengths for those that he cared about but that didn’t make it any less touching to hear him say it. Standing up from her desk, Pepper walked around it to wrap her arms around Tony in a giant hug that he reciprocated without hesitation.</p>
<p>After a minute they each pulled away from the hug and Tony pretended not to notice the shine to Pepper’s eyes that she subtly wiped away. In the boardroom she could be as fierce as a dragon but with her friends she had no problem letting down her guard and showing how she really felt.</p>
<p>“Thank you Tony. I really appreciate this. I’ll talk with Happy about it tonight and let you know if it’s something that we want to consider,” Pepper promised.</p>
<p>Tony nodded in agreement. “Either way, I just want the two of you to be happy.”</p>
<p>With that Tony let Pepper get back to her work and headed down to the labs to see how the R&amp;D team was coming along with the latest developments that would be coming out next year. Innovation wasn’t just for the holidays after all and he didn’t even have the excuse of planning a wedding to distract him from his work.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day Tony was grabbing a cup of coffee from the cart down in the lobby. He liked to start his morning there. It gave him a chance to see and talk with the regular employees of the company so he could keep in touch with the people that made everything that he had in his head actually work and be successful. Without the thousands of everyday people working for the company, none of the ideas that he thought up would ever do a bit of good. His daily ritual of getting coffee there made sure that he remembered that there was more to Stark Industries than just what went on in the labs.</p><p>The fact that he was so predictable made it easy for Happy to find him and walk with him once he had his morning beverage.</p><p>“Morning Hap. What do you have on your agenda for today?” Tony asked as he took a big gulp, scalding his tongue in the process.</p><p>Without pausing Happy held out a small container of cream for Tony to pour into his cup to help cool it down. He had spent so much time as Tony’s personal bodyguard before becoming head of the entire security for SI that he knew his friend’s habits by heart. Tony smiled contritely but stirred in the cream and took a much better sip.</p><p>“Don’t know what I’d do without you Hap,” Tony said with all sincerity.</p><p>“I suppose you’d lose all feeling on your tongue since you never seem willing to wait for your coffee to cool down boss,” Happy replied without worry that Tony would think he was being impertinent. He was, he just knew that Tony wouldn’t mind. He preferred to have people speak their mind to him instead of talking about him behind his back.</p><p>Tony smiled into his drink knowing that what Happy had to say was true. He was too impatient for his caffeine fix to wait for the coffee to cool down before drinking it. Happy had quickly gotten tired of watching Tony burn his tongue just to drink his coffee and had started bringing cream to mix into the coffee to cool it down enough to consume.</p><p>“Too true,” he agreed with his friend. “What brings you down here today? Training the newest batch of security guards? Keeping everyone on their toes?”</p><p>Happy quirked his lips in a smile. “Actually I was looking for you. Pepper and I talked last night about your suggestion of getting a wedding planner and we agreed that we’d like to meet with the guy.”</p><p>Tony’s whole face lit up hearing that. He wasn’t always the best at gifting things to people. He might always have the best of intentions but that didn’t mean he was always successful. Case in point the time he had brought Pepper a container of fresh strawberries, forgetting that they were the one thing she was allergic to, not her favorite fruit. Knowing that his friends were at least considering the wedding planner that he had found filled him with a warm and fuzzy feeling.</p><p>“Awesome. I’ll set up an appointment with him then should I?” Tony checked to be sure. For all he knew, the two of them just wanted to run with it from here on out and wouldn’t need his assistance.</p><p>“That would be great. We’ll talk with him and see if it’s worth it to us to hire him and what wedding tasks to delegate to him if we did.”</p><p>With that set Happy went back to his rounds and Tony got on the elevator to head up to his office. There was work that he needed to get done with the upcoming holidays and limited time in which to get it done. In between meetings and signing off on the work that the R&amp;D team brought to him Tony was able to shoot off an email to the event planner to set up an appointment to meet with him about coordinating Pepper and Happy’s wedding.</p><p>It didn’t take long before Tony got a reply saying that James was free to meet with them tomorrow at two in the afternoon. After quickly checking the schedules of his friends to make sure that they were free, Tony wrote back accepting the meeting, placed the meeting on their calendars, and got back to his work for the day.</p><p>The next day came quick and at quarter of two Tony found himself along with his two friends waiting in one of the smaller conference rooms waiting for James Barnes to arrive. Tony didn’t actually have to be at this meeting while the other two figured out if this guy was someone they wanted to hire in the first place but they had asked him to come as well. He was the one that would be paying for the service if they went with him plus they valued Tony’s opinions and insights. It might be their wedding but it wasn’t happening in a vacuum. They were taking into consideration other people’s opinions when they were asked for. Unsolicited opinions were dumped right in the trash where they belonged.</p><p>Right on time came a knock on the conference room door and the secretary let in one of the most handsome men that Tony had ever laid eyes on. The pictures that had been shown on the website didn’t do justice to the flesh and blood man standing in front of them right now. If he was less of a professional Tony would have let all thoughts flow south right along with his blood since his brain seemed to have come to a crashing halt.</p><p>Pepper stood as gracefully as she did in a boardroom meeting and extended her hand to shake the other man’s. Happy followed along, letting Pepper take the lead. As much as he wanted to be an active participant in the planning, he knew that the overall vision was more important to Pepper and was more than willing to act as her support in this matter. They had both shaken the planner’s hand by the time Tony got his brain to function enough to remember that even though it wasn’t his wedding he should probably stand up and shake the man’s hand as well. Luckily he wasn’t so far lost in the man’s good looks that he would embarrass himself by standing.</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” the planner greeted looking between the three of them, doing a good job masking his confusion over which of them were the ones getting married. “I’m James Barnes. I own and manage Events for Timeless Memories. The email I received spoke about wanting to hire me for a wedding that is coming up in December.”</p><p>“Yes,” Pepper agreed as they all took their seats. “Harold and I are getting married on December 20th this year. We’re aware that hiring a wedding planner a month and a half before the event is very short notice. We had wanted to do all of the planning on our own; really make it our wedding from top to bottom you know.”</p><p>Happy picked it up from there. “With the holidays coming up though it’s just becoming very difficult to juggle everything. We have all the major things taken care of. The venue’s been rented. We have a baker for the cake and a menu selected with the caterer and a photographer all lined up. The officiant has been chosen and all of the paperwork has been picked up or filed appropriately. All of the basics are covered.”</p><p>“It’s the details that we need help with now,” Pepper said, taking back over. “We need someone that will coordinate between everyone to make sure that everything is ready in time for the wedding and to make sure that the day of the wedding goes smoothly. Is that something that you can do with this amount of notice?”</p><p>As the couple talked, James sat calmly in his chair listening to everything that they had to say and everything that they would need from him if he were to take this job. He was used to helping couples plan their weddings from start to finish with all the messy details that sprung up in between falling onto his lap at some point or other. To have a couple that was already so well organized was a rare treat for him.</p><p>With James so focused on the couple it allowed Tony to fade into the background and just sit there and observe the event planner. James was calm and composed as he listened to what was being said. That focus gave him a serious look, that of someone that could absorb tons of information and piece it all together into a larger puzzle that would be amazing in the end.</p><p>“It is a shorter timeline than I normally would take but it also seems like you’ve done most of the heavy lifting which is the cause for having a longer timeline in the first place. Based on what you’ve described that sounds completely doable to me,” James said confidently.</p><p>Reaching into his binder he pulled out a few sheets of paper and slid them across the table to Pepper and Happy. “These are a list of services that I provide. I have a few packages for those that need more in depth planning of their event which is included on the first page but it doesn’t sound like that’s what the two of you would need. Instead, on the second page there is a list of services that can be chosen in a more a la carte style. You pick what you need and leave the rest and my fee will only be based on what you need me to do to make your wedding as special as possible.”</p><p>Pepper immediately pulled out a pen to start marking up the page the same way she would a contract brought in by a potential investor that had to be negotiated to their biggest benefit. At the same time Happy began reading everything written on each sheet, regardless of whether it was something they would need for themselves, not willing to risk something getting by them that he could have spotted and stopped ahead of time if he had just been more vigilant.</p><p>It made Tony smile to see two of his best friends complementing each other so well. They really were very good for one another and Tony couldn’t be happier for them. He wanted to give them the world for all that they gave to him but if a wedding planner was all that he could do then he was going to make sure that it was the best damn wedding planner that anyone could find.</p><p>Glancing across the table to the other man, Tony let his eyes subtly rove over him again. Yes he certainly was a damn good looking wedding planner at the very least. If he wasn’t trying to remain professional for the sake of his friends then he was sure that he would have already been seeing if the other man was up for being climbed like a tree. It had been a while since Tony had a long term relationship and he just wasn’t up for one night stands anymore. That didn’t mean that his libido was dead.</p><p>The rest of the short meeting passed by in a blur to Tony as he had been more focused on the man across the table from him than what was actually being discussed. That didn’t mean he hadn’t absorbed it, listening without his full attention was a still that he had nearly perfected in board meetings when other members droned on about things that could be discussed in half the time.</p><p>“So if this is something that you’d like to go forward with, I will take a look at what you’ve written down here,” Jame said, taking back the service sheet, “And I’ll draw up a contract for the event. If you’re free tomorrow I would love to meet with you then since the timeline is so short. I would want to get started as soon as possible.”</p><p>Pepper and Happy both nodded as Happy spoke. “I think that you sound like the perfect candidate for what we are looking for. Robert, the front desk receptionist that checked you in, can give you our availability for tomorrow. We would be happy to make time for you. Thank you very much for coming in on such a short notice.”</p><p>“The pleasure was all mine,” James replied.</p><p>Together they all stood and shook hands as they said their goodbyes. Tony might have held onto James’s hand a little longer than he actually had to but he noticed that James made absolutely no move to try and pull away sooner. There was also a spark in his eyes if Tony wasn’t mistaken. Oh yes, he couldn’t wait for tomorrow to actually hire the man. Once that had happened he was sure that they would be seeing a lot of each other and Tony was well looking forward to that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All through the next day Tony couldn’t help but think about how he would get to see James again today when he brought in the contract for Pepper and Happy to sign. True he didn’t actually need to be in the meeting for that, he could easily leave a check at the front desk for the event planner but Tony wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to see the man again.</p><p>He knew that it was a bit ridiculous. He had barely had any real interaction with the man and yet he found himself drawn to him. Tony was aware of just how easy it would be to cross over the line between harmless infatuation and creepy obsession but he didn’t think that would happen. He couldn’t have explained how he knew that and it was possible that everyone who crossed that line felt the same, but Tony was still so sure he wouldn’t cross it.</p><p>When Tony got the message that James had arrived he was out of his office and down to the conference room in record time. He just barely kept himself from running down the hallway, not wanting to draw that much attention to himself. He was even fast enough that he had beaten Pepper and Happy to the room. That made him drop his head into his hands as he took his seat. They were two of the people that knew him better than almost anyone and they knew the difference in his behavior between trying for a lust filled fling and pursuing a real relationship. They knew that he didn’t throw himself after a fling and he was certain that there would be no end to their teasing over his sudden and irreversible infatuation of the wedding planner they were looking to hire.</p><p>Pepper and Happy weren’t too far behind him in arriving at the conference room. Luckily there was only enough time for some raised eyebrows and pointed looks before an intern was showing James into the room. Another round of greeting where Tony might have held onto the other man’s hand longer than was strictly necessary but he couldn’t get over the strength in those hands and how he’d like nothing more than to just spend the day holding them. The fact that James didn’t move to break the handshake any sooner than Tony did spoke volumes to the genius.</p><p>Happy less than subtly cleared his throat breaking the contact between the two men and drawing them back to what was going on around them. James had the good graces to look embarrassed at ignoring the bride and groom in his desire to continue holding Tony’s hand.</p><p>Clearing his throat to try and get himself back on track, James took his seat and pulled out a folder containing the contract that he had drawn up based on Pepper and Happy’s wants.</p><p>“So this is the contract we’ve decided on,” James said as he slid the folder across the desk to the couple. “Look it over and let me know if there is anything that needs to be discussed again or changed before we sign. Once the contract is signed I’ll get half the payment up front and half on the day of the event.”</p><p>Pepper and Happy nodded as they each took a copy and read it over one last time to make sure that there wasn’t anything that needed to be altered before it became legally binding. While they did that Tony pulled out his checkbook and started writing out the amount that would be due to the planner today. James’s eyebrow went up at the display and Tony just shrugged nonchalantly.</p><p>“They’re paying for their own wedding but I’m paying for you,” he explained. “The holidays are just so busy for the company that I wanted to make sure they could still have the wedding of their dreams so you’re my wedding gift to them.”</p><p>James nodded in understanding. There were many reasons why someone wanted to hire a wedding planner and as those reasons kept him employed, he didn’t care too much what they were so long as he got paid for his work. Who was paying however sometimes caused problems and he found it best to nip that in the bud before it could cause headache inducing problems.</p><p>“So you’re paying for my services and they are paying for all other wedding services,” James stated, making sure that they were all on the same page and earning nods of agreement in return. “Who is the final decision maker for all wedding related decisions? I find knowing this right now prevents issues from occurring later on about who gets final say.”</p><p>Happy scrunched his face in distaste and while Pepper kept her expression more neutral, she also winced internally at the implication of the arguments the planner must have had to sit through. Tony was the one to speak up and answer the question though.</p><p>“They have the final say,” he said, gesturing to the couple. “It’s their wedding so it should turn out the way that they want it to. This is my gift to them with no strings attached. If they want everything decorated in hot pink and leopard print, well I might make fun of them for it but you’d better believe that I would be wearing the best hot pink leopard print suit that I could get my hands on.”</p><p>Pepper reached out and took Tony’s hand, squeezing it with her own. It was that kind of unwavering support that made Tony such a dear friend to her. It was that loyalty to those he cared about that had made Happy a loyal employee and then a loyal friend in return. They both knew that come push or shove, Tony would always be in their corner fighting for them.</p><p>James nodded. “As long as everyone is on the same page, that’s all that matters to me. It makes everything run much smoother if we can get that settled at the beginning instead of half way through when someone wants to change things from hot pink to neon orange.”</p><p>That earned chuckles from the other three just as he had intended. Wedding planning could be stressful in the best of circumstances. With the holiday season ramping up and the high stress jobs both of his clients had, James did his best to keep everyone calm and in good spirits. Doing so not only made the experience better for his clients which increased the chance of referrals later on but also made the work much more pleasant for himself as well. It was never a fun afternoon to listen to a bridezilla arguing with her future mother in law over whether or not baby’s breath should be included in the flower arrangements based on who was footing the bill.</p><p>Happy finished reading over his copy of the contract and gave Pepper a nod to indicate his agreement. He had no doubt that she wanted to make sure that he had just as much a say in their wedding as she did. He also wanted to be an active participant in the planning since he had never understood husbands-to-be putting all of that work on their future wives. That being said, there was also no doubt in his mind that Pepper had probably put a lot more thought into what she wanted her wedding to look like than he had and he wanted it to be just as perfect for her as they could make it.</p><p>“Everything looks good in here,” Pepper said tapping the contract in front of her. “I’d say we’re ready to sign.”</p><p>“Very good,” James said, pulling out a pen and adding his own signature to the bottom of the documents, one for him and one for his clients.</p><p>Pepper and Happy each signed and dated at the bottom on their own lines. At the same time Tony finished writing out the check and tore it out of the checkbook before handing it over to the event planner.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said as he tucked the check into his folder. “If you send me a list of everyone that you are working with so far: florists, caterers, venue, etc., I can get in touch with them and begin consolidating everything together.”</p><p>“My PA can get you a copy of all of that by the end of the day,” Pepper said as she stood up and reached out a hand to James to shake. “Please let us know what else you might need from us and we will get it to you as soon as possible.”</p><p>James returned the handshake, doing the same with Happy and Tony as well. “Of course. I’ll be in touch.”</p><p>Tony followed James to the door to walk him back down to the lobby. Not only was it the polite thing to do but Tony knew how easily it would be for someone to get lost in the maze of hallways and offices if they didn’t know where they were going. If he was volunteering to escort the planner himself instead of leaving that to an intern like they had yesterday, well he was the one that had come up with the idea of hiring the man in the first place. He wasn’t hurting anyone if he took the time available to enjoy the view so long as he wasn’t making anyone uncomfortable.</p><p>“Thank you,” Tony said as they walked together. “For taking on this job even so close to the event that is. I know the paycheck is probably a driving factor, especially considering the holidays coming up, but I do appreciate it nonetheless. You couldn’t be helping two better people. Pep and Happy are just the best and deserve all of the good that they can get.”</p><p>“I appreciate the sentiment but thanks aren’t necessary,” James protested. “Yes I want to be paid for my work but it isn’t the paycheck that drives me to do what I do.”</p><p>“Then what is it?” Tony asked, wanting to know more about that man that had so thoroughly captured his attention.</p><p>“It’s simple really. I love seeing the look on peoples faces when they see their dream becoming a reality right in front of them,” explained James. “That moment that they walk into the room and their eyes light up as they take in everything that had only existed in their head up until that point and now it’s real and it’s in front of them and they get to experience it. That’s why I enjoy doing this. For those moments.”</p><p>Tony hummed as he listened. “Sounds an awful lot like why I invent. Seeing something come to life that had only been in my head and now people are walking around with it in their hands or having it power their homes. Knowing that in some way I’m making things better for someone out there.”</p><p>“Exactly!” James agreed. “It’s never perfect and there will always be those that aren’t happy with the result but they are in the minority. Most see the beauty in what you have created for them and it will stick with them for years to come.”</p><p>They both shared a smile that said they knew exactly what the other was talking about even if it was revolving around different mediums. The sparks in their eyes came from the same place and it wasn’t often that either of them ran into someone with a similar spirit to their own. Unfortunately the walk back down to the lobby could only last so long without detouring through the entire building.</p><p>Before James could walk away Tony pulled out a business car from his pocket that he always carried with him. Grabbing a pen from the reception desk, he scribbled down his personal cell phone number on the back.</p><p>“Here, call me if you need any help with getting the wedding ready. I want to make this wedding the best it could possibly be for my friends. They deserve that beauty they’ll remember all their lives like you were describing,” Tony said emphatically. If it meant that he got to spend more time around James, well Tony wasn’t about to turn his nose up at such an offer. He was hopeful that James felt the same way.</p><p>James took the business card and tucked it into the breast pocket of his shirt. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” James promised. “Extra hands never hurt when it comes to pulling off a wedding as seamlessly as possible. Plus I sure wouldn’t mind spending a bit more time with someone so dedicated to helping their friends out. You don’t come across that kind of loyalty very often.”</p><p>“My loyalty to them is matched only by their loyalty to me,” Tony said.</p><p>Finally they were forced to say their goodbyes and James headed out of the building to get to work on the new contract. Tony watched him go for a minute, his eyes drifting down to that nice ass before tearing himself back to present where he was in public. Making himself head back inside, Tony let his mind wander over what it might be like to get to know the other man on a more personal level at some point if he was interested as well.</p><p>As James walked out of Stark Industries he couldn’t help but walk with a little swagger in his steps to give a show if the cute businessman was watching. He wondered when he would next be able run into Tony again while he worked on this wedding. He had been doing his business long enough not to need to bring in inexperienced help but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take Tony up on his offer if only to get to know him a little bit better.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James had spent a week creating a timeline of when he needed to do each task to get the wedding ready to go. He had called each of the other providers for the wedding to introduce himself and work out the connections needed so that the bride and groom would remain in the loop while at the same time taking the weight off their shoulders. He was impressed with the amount of work that had already been done before he was brought in to help get the wedding set up and ready to go.</p><p>He was used to clients either not having a clue as to what they wanted to do or how they wanted things to look. He was used to scrambling with jobs that hired him at the last minute to get everything ready to go in time. It was always nice to have a client that had a clear vision and direction for him to go with. The more prepared a client was, the easier the job was for James and the better end result he could give them. It was a wonderfully symbiotic relationship that way.</p><p>With most of the work already being done before James had been hired for the wedding there wasn’t too much that he needed to get done at the moment. The busy time would come in the week leading up to the event with all of the last minute checks and then the day of the wedding when it fell on his shoulders to make sure that everything went off flawlessly.</p><p>The biggest thing that he needed to do now was to make an appointment to go and view the venue himself. He had a feeling that Pepper at the very least would want to take an active role in getting the venue decorated but James had seen enough brides unintentionally biting off more than they could chew. Having never had to plan and organize a wedding before, they didn’t know the full scale that went into everything and the more they had to do in their regular lives, the more they had to rely on James. He didn’t mind since that was what he was there for but it did mean that he wanted to be prepared to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible.</p><p>It was a month out from the wedding when James was able to get a chance to go out and view the venue. The location was a mansion just outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. It was close enough to the city proper to give any traveling guests places to stay while also avoiding the crush of people that were unavoidable in one of the busiest cities in the world.</p><p>The mansion was one that James had found out was owned by Stark Industries and was used for multiple charity events that they hosted throughout the year. James had spoken with a woman by Rachel Woodsworth who oversaw the various Stark Industry properties maintenance and upkeep along with when and who was using them for various purposes. She was set to meet him at the mansion at three in the afternoon to show him around where the wedding reception would be taking place.</p><p>When James pulled up to the location there was already a car there waiting for him. Getting out and walking up to the front door, James was surprised when the door opened and Tony stepped into view instead of Ms. Woodsworth.</p><p>James’s entire face lit up as he picked up the pace, skipping steps on his way up to the door. “Tony, what are you doing here?” he asked though he still reached out to shake Tony’s hand. It took a force of will to not use that touch to pull Tony’s into a hug. As much as he wanted to see how the smaller man felt in his arms, he resisted knowing that would be crossing a line. He was definitely attracted to the other man and he suspected that it was mutual but until he knew instead of just suspecting, he would respect Tony’s space.</p><p>Tony's smile was just as bright and brilliant as James remembered. "Ms. Woodsworth had mentioned that she was meeting with you here today and I volunteered to take over,” Tony explained as he led James into the mansion. “I know just as much if not more than her about the mansion and can answer any questions that you have about it.”</p><p>“Oh?” James questioned. “And why would that be? I figure as the Stark of Stark Industries you’d have your fingers in a lot of different projects that your company does but there is such a thing as micromanaging if you also keep an eye on and knowledge about the ins and outs of every single building your company owns.”</p><p>Tony burst out laughing and nodded his head along with James’s reasoning. “That is definitely a good point and no one likes a micromanager. However, the reason I happen to know this particular building so well is that I grew up in it. This is the Stark mansion that my parents owned and where we lived.”</p><p>“Wow,” James breathed out with a quiet whistle. “And here I was thinking you were being generous just hiring an event planner for your friends. I had no idea you were also letting them use your home for their reception as well.”</p><p>That had Tony shaking his head immediately. He didn’t want to be giving the wrong impression and taking credit for something that wasn’t earned.</p><p>“Not quite. My parents did own it and I inherited it when they both passed but I sold it to the company once I moved into Stark Tower. It’s a beautiful building and I couldn’t let it go to strangers but at the same time it doesn’t have the best of memories for me. My relationship with my father was complicated and I just couldn’t see myself living here and being happy. So Stark Industries now owns and takes care of it. It gets used throughout the year for various charity events so it’s still doing good,” Tony explained with a shrug. “With Pepper as the CEO now it just seemed like the perfect place for her to have her wedding reception. Her choice for that had nothing to do with me though I do support it since that is what she wants. There’s no denying it is a beautiful building.”</p><p>James smiled at the clear pride in Tony’s voice for his childhood home. He understood how feelings about the past could be complicated and he wasn’t about to judge the other man for that.</p><p>“Well in that case I can’t imagine a better tour guide to let me know all of the best plans to set things up and how to organize all of the people that will be working the event so they aren’t running over top each other,” James said sagely.</p><p>“I think I can manage that,” Tony said with a wink in James’s direction that made the other man chuckle. “Follow me.”</p><p>Tony showed James through the mansion. They toured through the kitchen where the caterers would be working to make everything up fresh and hot. They went through the upstairs to show the bedrooms where the bridal party would be getting ready in the morning before leaving for the ceremony as well as the room the groomsmen could use to keep their own personal effects during the reception.</p><p>Tony even made an impromptu stop to show James his old bedroom. That had brought about some jokes about little Tony running around like a menace which Tony had heartily agreed with. He had been too smart for his age and given every adult that had tried to wrangle him in a run for their money.</p><p>“It’s probably a good thing that the beds have been removed from the rooms,” James mused out loud.</p><p>“Neither Pepper nor Happy have too many younger relatives so I don’t think we’d have to worry about too many people getting out to things that they shouldn’t be,” Tony reassured.</p><p>James just shook his head. “You’d be surprised. I’ve found more often than not it’s the older couples that tend to sneak away for a little horizontal hokey pokey during a reception.”</p><p>Tony’s eyes went wide and James laughed as he kept explaining. “They’re in a good mood. They’ve just been to a wedding. They’re celebrating love and wishing the new couple many years of wedded bliss and they just feel the urge to go off and reaffirm their own continued bliss. Besides, sex doesn’t just stop when you get old. It happens way more often than you’d think.”</p><p>“Sounds like you have some stories to tell,” Tony said with an eyebrow wiggle.</p><p>Faces red with laughter, Tony had taken them back downstairs, showing first the sitting room where guests could take a break if they needed a moment away from the noise of the reception. Finally they ended in the ballroom which would house first the dinner and then dancing into the evening.</p><p>James took out a sketchpad and began drawing rough sketches of where everything would go and what everything would look like on the day of the wedding. Tony had no shame in looking over James’s shoulder to watch as the vision came to life before his eyes. It really was almost like watching himself draw out blueprints for a new invention as all of the pieces came together to make the whole.</p><p>“You’re very good at that,” Tony complimented, gesturing down at the book that now had multiple pages filled with designs for how the reception would be decorated based on what Pepper and Happy had told James that they wanted.</p><p>“Oh this is nothing. If you really want to be impressed you should see what my friend Steve can do. Give him just about any kind of art medium and he’ll blow you right out of the water,” James said, unable to keep himself from bragging about his friend. “I’ve got just enough talent to do my job and let clients see what their event could look like. When we’re done here I’ll send this over to Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan to get their approval on everything before moving on with getting the decorations all planned out and ready to go.”</p><p>“I’m sure that they’ll love it,” Tony whispered, realizing just how close his face had gotten to James’s as he watched the man draw.</p><p>James turned his head to meet Tony’s eyes and the two of them froze in place for a minute. James’s eyes flicked down to Tony’s lips and back up again unconsciously licking over his own. Tony felt his breath hitch in his chest as the air between them seemed to spark. The moment was broken when Tony’s phone started ringing in his pocket and he was forced to step away so that he could answer it. By the time Tony was able to get off of the call James had put the sketchpad away.</p><p>“I suppose that’s about it for now,” James said as he fell back on his professionalism. “I think I have what I need for the moment. I’ll get these ideas to the couple and will be in touch with the next steps to get everything ready for the big day.”</p><p>“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Tony said, unable to figure out how to get the moment back or if he should even be trying to. “Just let me know if there is anything that you need from me and I’ll be happy to help.”</p><p>Together the two of them left the building and headed back to their separate cars. They each had work that they needed to get done but both of them couldn’t help but think back to the near kiss and what that meant for the two of them and where they should go from there. All they could do for the moment was to wait and see where the holiday spirit would take them next.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The closer the wedding got the busier everything seemed to become. The big day was just a week away and everything seemed like it was kicking up into high gear. There were rehearsals that Pepper and Happy needed to attend so Tony stepped up to the plate to deal with the board members and other leaders in Stark Industries in order to give his friends some breathing room to get done everything that they needed to.</p><p>Tony also had his own assignments to do. He had to go and get his tux fitted to make sure that it fit him just right still since it had been a while since he’d had to wear it. He also planned on heading over to the mansion to help James get the decorations set up in the ballroom for the reception after the ceremony. He had the weekend off and when Pepper had mentioned that the planner would be working on that Tony had volunteered to go over and help him. There had been more than a little teasing from his friend over his apparent crush on the event planner but Pepper had merely handed over some decorations that she had for the room and told Tony to go and have fun.</p><p>Pepper and her bridesmaids had spent the past weekend putting together the centerpieces that would go on each table at the reception along with the favors that the guests would be able to take home with them. James and Tony were now at the venue getting the tables and decorations into place for the big day. While Tony didn’t technically have to be there to help, he wasn’t about to turn down time being spent with James. If it was also something that could help his friends get ready for their wedding then it was just a win-win situation as far as he was concerned.</p><p>Tony had the centerpieces in his car and James was supposed to be meeting him at the mansion to put everything together in the ballroom. James’s car was already there when Tony pulled in and the businessman wasted no time in jogging up the steps and walking inside. He would find James first and then get him to help carry the boxes with the delicate creations inside. Figuring that the ballroom was the most likely place to find the event planner, Tony made a beeline there not pausing until he entered the room where he came to a dead stop.</p><p>Tony walked into the room and felt his jaw drop open in awe. Lights twinkled all along the ceiling and down the walls in select areas giving a look of cascading stars. Garland hung over each window and doorway. Little bobbles were placed here and there strategically around the room giving it a look of a winter wonderland without overwhelming the place to look tacky.</p><p>It was absolutely incredible and Tony was beyond impressed. He had no doubt in his mind that both Pepper and Happy would absolutely love how the decorating had turned out. James had made everything turn out perfectly and Tony couldn’t have asked for better for two of his best friends.</p><p>As though thinking about him has summoned him to Tony’s side, James came walking into the room with a bright grin in place as he stopped next to Tony.</p><p>“So what do you think?” James asked, wanting Tony’s opinion while there was still time to change things if they needed to be corrected.</p><p>“I think it’s perfect. Pepper and Happy are absolutely going to love it,” Tony answered sincerely. “I couldn’t imagine this place looking any better. You did an absolutely amazing job.”</p><p>James stood up a bit straighter, pride in his work and someone seeing and acknowledging that work coursing through him. “I thought you might like it. I know that this is what the bride and groom asked for but it was you that I had in mind when I was designing and putting all of this together.”</p><p>Tony’s head whirled around in shock at the admission. True he loved everything that James had done to make the mansion into a gorgeous venue for the wedding but to hear that he had been the one in mind for it instead of the bride and groom was still a shock to him. It was clear that James could tell that as well.</p><p>Stepping forward James approached Tony until he could rest his hands on either side of Tony’s waist giving it a squeeze. Tony responded automatically by bringing his own hands up to rest on each of James’s arms, grounding himself in the moment.</p><p>“I did make sure that this is what they wanted,” he assured. “I’m not unprofessional after all. Everything that they said they dreamed of seeing as part of their wedding has been incorporated somehow. But the feeling that the room gives off, the warmth that it has beyond just a decorated room, that’s because I wanted to see that look you had on your face when you first walked in here.”</p><p>Tony was speechless. He’d had people do nice things for him for sure but this was a whole different level. He couldn’t remember a time when someone went to so much effort just for him. Butterflies fluttered about in his stomach which had seemed to become a common occurrence since meeting James.</p><p>Tony couldn’t help but notice the way that James seemed to let his focus drift down to Tony’s mouth as he used his grip on Tony’s waist to draw him in closer. Tony didn’t fight the pull as his heart pounded in his chest.</p><p>As James leaned in to kiss him, Tony raised a hand and pressed back against James’s chest making the other man stop instantly. Worriedly, afraid that he might have read the signs wrong and that Tony wasn’t actually interested in him and that he was crossing a line, James looked over Tony’s face for any indication as to why he had stopped things.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” he asked, needing to know where his signals had gotten crossed. “I thought you felt the same way I do.”</p><p>“I do,” Tony was quick to reassure him. “I want you too.”</p><p>“Then what’s the problem?”</p><p>“The wedding. The wedding is the problem. I hired you to coordinate a wedding for my friends and I’m paying you for that which means right now you’re an employee,” Tony explained. “It would be completely inappropriate of me to do anything with you right now when there is any chance that you might not feel able to say no to something for fear of risking your job. I want you, I really do, but I want to keep you and that means waiting to start this right when we can be on equal footing.”</p><p>That was not what James had been expecting at all. Yes Tony was the one writing the check for his services for the wedding but since the beginning, at their insistence, James had been thinking of Pepper and Happy as his clients and not the role that Tony played in it. He hadn’t even considered how the two of them starting a relationship now might appear to other people, how it might invite complications that neither of them would want.</p><p>“Okay,” James said as he took a step back away from Tony, hating the pained look that flashed across the other man’s face. “I understand your point and you’re right. There are too many conflicts right now.”</p><p>Tony felt his heart breaking in his chest even though they hadn’t truly been anything more to one another than client and specialist.</p><p>“However,” James continued catching Tony’s immediate attention. “When this wedding is over and everything is said and done and I’m no longer working for you, I’m coming back to collect that kiss. If you’re still interested that is.”</p><p>Hope flared in Tony’s chest and he had neither the ability or desire to try and squash it. It was better than he could have imagined possible. “I look forward to it.”</p><p>It took an effort of will to step back from everything that he wanted so badly but Tony made himself do it. He knew that it was the right thing to do and he wasn’t about to let his libido override his common sense as well as plain old decency. Instead Tony turned his attention to the tables that needed to be prepared for the lovely centerpieces that he had brought with him.</p><p>James had the tablecloths and runners ready to go and they each took half the room and got to work. Even splitting the work between them it still took a lot longer than Tony had thought that such a simple task would take.</p><p>"This is more work than I would have thought went into this kind of thing," Tony said as he spread another tablecloth over another table so that James could come through and start setting the rest of it up. "I mean I know weddings aren't easy to put together but I still never would have imagined just how much went into getting ready for them.”</p><p>"Most people don't know the amount of work that goes into planning large scale events," James acknowledged. "There are a lot of details that go into them that if you aren't thinking about them day in and day out can easily slip through the cracks."</p><p>Tony smoothed out the wrinkles on the tablecloth before throwing the runner down the middle to add a contrast of colors. Tony had originally suggested as a joke that gold and hot rod red be the official colors for the wedding as they had a nice Christmas vibe to them. Pepper had given him a look and Happy had shot him down flat. Red and white were the main color scheme that they wanted for the holiday feel though there were some pops of gold, silver, and green throughout to add some contrast and interest.</p><p>When each table was covered Tony and James carefully placed each centerpiece working together to make sure that they didn’t get damaged in the process. Pepper and her friends had crafted together thin birch tree limbs to create a small tree. They had coated it in a light white paint that allowed some of the natural wood to peek through and then finished it all by spraying it all with glitter spray paint. From different limbs there were ornaments that hung, spinning in the air from the movement to put the centerpieces into place. Some of them were just pretty bobbles while others had some special meaning to the couple or their family.</p><p>Little pieces of confetti were scattered over the tables to make it look like fallen snow. Beautiful cushions and bows were added to the chairs to match the tables. In the end it looked like the guests would be dining and dancing in an enchanted Christmas wonderland which was exactly what Pepper and Happy had envisioned for the night.</p><p>It took a few hours but finally the entire room was beautifully decorated and ready for the big day to arrive. This time when the two of them went to leave the mansion there was an added air of tension and awkwardness between them that hadn’t been present for any of their interactions before. Tony just hoped as he climbed into his car and drove away, that everything would go back to the ease that they had before today and that his insistence on waiting hadn’t messed up his chances with the man that had already begun worming his way right into Tony’s heart.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next week was highly stressful and Tony had a hard time getting his mind off of James and wondering if he had blown his one chance to be with the man. Tony knew that he had done the right thing but that didn’t mean it couldn’t cause regrets at the same time. Even with all of that hanging over Tony’s head, there were more important things going on that needed his attention.</p><p>With the last few days until Christmas quickly approaching Stark Industries was at its busiest time of the year and Tony was doing everything that he could to make it as stress free for Pepper as he possibly could. Having been the former CEO he knew the song and dance that went on this time of year and gracefully stepped back into some of the role so that Pepper could have the time that she needed to get ready for the wedding. Everything was as planned out and as ready as it could be but that didn’t stop her from channeling St. Nick and checking everything twice.</p><p>Just like that the big day was here and everything went off without a hitch. Everyone was where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there. Pepper looked absolutely radiant in her wedding dress and Tony was certain that he had seen Happy wiping away a few tears from his eyes when Pepper walked down the aisle towards him. He was sure that Happy wouldn’t even deny it. He didn’t care who knew just how much in love he was with his now wife.</p><p>After the wedding came pictures and then the reception. Pepper and Happy were both blown away by how beautiful the room looked and there was more than a little gushing to both James and Tony on the work that they had done. Toasts were made, cake was cut, flowers were thrown, and dancing took over. All through it Tony couldn’t stop his gaze from skating across the room looking for James to see what he was doing.</p><p>He had been at the venue three hours before the ceremony making sure that all of the decorations and flowers were in the right places and that there was nothing else left to be touched up on. James had then travelled to the church and repeated the same process with the decorations and flowers there. He coordinated with the photographers to make sure that they had their shot lists and were ready to capture every happy moment for Pepper and Happy to relive whenever they wanted to in the years to come.</p><p>James had even made a point of leaving a bottle of champagne in both the bride and groom rooms for the wedding party to enjoy before the ceremony had begun. Through it all James had done all his work while also wearing a suit that managed to stay absolutely immaculate the entire day. Tony knew that for a fact because whenever his eyes hadn’t been on Pepper and Happy as they celebrated joining their lives together, his eyes had been seeking out James to watch him like a love sick puppy.</p><p>That hadn’t gone unnoticed by his friends and Pepper had eventually grabbed him up for a dance of her own with him.</p><p>“So when do you plan on doing something about your crush on the event planner or are you just planning on mooning over him from afar and hoping that he will spontaneously confess his love for you?” Pepper teased as Tony spun her around on the dance floor.</p><p>“I am not mooning over anyone Mrs. Hogan,” Tony shot back, sticking his tongue out at her to emphasize his point.</p><p>Pepper wrinkled her nose. “Nope. None of that now. You know I’m keeping my own name. I love Happy with my whole heart but I’ve worked too hard to make a name for myself in the business world to give it up now. And don’t think I don’t notice you avoiding the question.”</p><p>Tony twirled her around and dipped her onto the dance floor startling a laugh out of the bride before rightening her up and continuing with the dance. “We’ve talked about it. He tried to kiss me last week when we were setting up in here but I told him I couldn’t.”</p><p>“Tony,” Pepper gasped sadly. “Why would you do that? Anyone that knows you can see that you’re head over heels for the man. Why would you tell him no?”</p><p>“I’m paying him right now Pepper. I know that it was to make all of this for you guys but I am still paying him and it just wouldn’t be right. I explained that to him to so you don’t have to worry that I was bottling everything up inside and denying myself love or anything like that,” Tony said before sneaking a quick longing glance over Pepper’s shoulder at the man in question standing in the corner of the room making sure that the event was continuing to go smoothly. “We talked about it and he said once the wedding was over he was coming back to collect that kiss.”</p><p>Pepper cooed over the faint blush that stained Tony’s cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Tony so enamored with someone that he was doing everything he could to make sure that the relationship would be successful even before the relationship had even begun.</p><p>“I hope you’re planning on taking him up on that offer,” Pepper murmured, wanting nothing more than happiness for one of her dearest friends. “Besides, I’d like an invite to your wedding.”</p><p>Tony went from longingly thinking about what could happen once the reception was over to laughing so hard his stomach hurt. Trust Pepper to turn even a simple conversation about Tony’s love life into a negotiation. That was one reason why she did such an amazing job as the CEO of the company.</p><p>“I do plan on taking him up on that kiss if it’s still offered and I couldn’t possibly imagine not inviting one of my best friends to my potential future wedding,” promised Tony.</p><p>As the song came to an end and the music faded out Tony and Pepper came to a stop on the dance floor. Pepper leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Tony’s cheek.</p><p>“Good luck Tony,” she whispered.</p><p>The rest of the night carried on with the same jovial atmosphere, people dancing and having a good time celebrating the new marriage. Eventually though, all good things must come to an end. As the evening began to wind down and people were slowly starting to trickle out of the venue, saying goodbye and giving their last well wishes to the happy couple, James still looked like he had just gotten ready for the day. Not a hair was out of place and not a winkle could be found on his suit. As far as Tony was concerned that was an impressive feat in and of itself regardless of his initial attraction for the man. Everything about him made Tony’s mouth water every time he saw James and he couldn’t wait for his chance to meet with the man on an equal playing field.</p><p>A few times James had managed to get a free minute between different tasks to make sure that they day went perfectly and anything that went wrong wasn’t noticed. During that time he would sneak his own looks at Tony. As far as the event planner was concerned, Tony was the third most beautiful person at that wedding. The bride and groom would always take the first two spots regardless of how true or false that might actually be. It was their day after all.</p><p>James couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, if he and Tony could make a go of things once this wedding was over that might be them someday in the future. Not wanting to get ahead of himself, James didn’t allow himself to seek Tony out during the wedding or reception. He was certain that if he did, he would be consumed by the other’s magnificence and then he would never actually get the job done for which he was being paid.</p><p>Now that it was the end of the night, the wedding was over and all the guests had left for the night he had his chance. All that was left behind were the people cleaning up after the reception, James to direct them to make sure everything got done in an appropriate amount of time, and Tony to spend a little bit more time with the wedding planner that he had come to care for. The food was thrown or packed away and the table and chairs were currently being packed back into the van they had been brought over in. The garlands and twinkle lights were still up though the room lights had been turned down giving the room an otherworldly glow.</p><p>“Everything was so perfect,” Tony said quietly, not wanting to break the magic of the moment as he walked over to where James was standing. “It couldn’t have been better. You did an amazing job. Thank you.”</p><p>James stepped forward until their chests were nearly pressed together. “I always try to do my very best for my clients but I admit, some are better than others. Some are nightmares that I give the bare minimum to and some just inspire me to make the event as magical as I possibly can.”</p><p>Tony looked up into James’s eyes, his own sparkling from the lights of the room. “You certainly seemed inspired this time. I wonder why,” he teased with a small tilt to his lips.</p><p>Reaching out, James took Tony’s hands in his own and brought them up to his chest, tipping his head down to place a chaste kiss on Tony’s knuckles. “You inspire me Tony. Of course I wanted to give your friends the best wedding possible, that is my job, but you inspire me to make it as magical as possible. I wanted to see your eyes light up. I wanted to see the smile on your face. Those things warmed me. Those things made me want to give my very best without hesitation. You inspire me to make everything as perfect as it can be because you deserve perfect in your life when it can be given. You deserve everything I have to give.”</p><p>Listening to James, Tony couldn’t help feel himself getting choked up. While he had people in his life that loved him, there was a difference between friends that were there in your corner when you needed them and a special someone with whom you always came first in their minds and hearts.</p><p>Before Tony could come up with an appropriate response James made his next move. He moved closer to Tony and wrapped one arm around Tony’s waist and pulled the shorter man closer so that they were pressed together.</p><p>“You told me that before that we couldn’t be together because at the time I was working for you and there would be a conflict about my ability to give consent,” James said. “The wedding is over now. The job is done and I’m not working for you anymore. There is nothing that could stop me from saying no if I didn’t want something and so I’m asking again, will you go out with me Tony? Can I call you mine?”</p><p>Tony didn’t have to think about the question to know the answer to it. Standing up on his toes, he wrapped his arms around James’s neck and tipped his head up to press his lips to James’s in a soft and slow kiss. James tightened his fingers around Tony’s waist, pulling him closer, as he indulged in the long kiss.</p><p>Eventually they had to part but neither moved too far from one another. Their foreheads pressed together and they breathed in and out feeling the other’s breath brushing against their own cheek.</p><p>“Yes,” Tony whispered. “Yes I want to go out with you. Yes I want to be yours. Yes, just yes to everything.”</p><p>James wasted no time in capturing Tony’s lips again in another kiss, this one with more pressure and heat behind it though still remaining fairly chaste. This was something they both wanted to last, wanted to mean something, and that meant not jumping into bed as soon as they had the opportunity. That would happen soon enough, there was no need to rush it.</p><p>“You are the most perfect Christmas present that I ever could have hoped for,” James whispered against Tony’s lips when he pulled away from the kiss.</p><p>“I suppose you must have been very good this year to get such a good present,” Tony teased back, rubbing their noses together.</p><p>James laughed and hugged Tony tight. “I suppose I must have been. I’ll have to make sure that I stay as good next year and the year after and the year after to make sure that I get to keep such a perfect present.”</p><p>“I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you. After all, you do seem to specialize in making dreams come true. You certain did with mine,” Tony said as he leaned his head on James’s shoulder.</p><p>Together they stood there in the remnants of the wedding reception just holding onto one another and basking in the new bloom of their relationship. It had been slow getting to this point but worth every step they had taken to get there. If they could end up with the same amount of love and happiness that had filled the room for this wedding and joining of two lives then Tony and James would consider themselves very lucky indeed. Christmas was a time for love and joy and the two of them had definitely found that in one another and neither could wait to see where else their journey would lead them.</p>
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